Ticket-separating machine.



0. N. VERENIUS.

TICKET SEPAHAHNG 111110111115.

APPLICATION FILED nov. 1, 191.5.

Patented May 22, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Inventor Witnesses Attorneys 1w: NORRIS PETERS cu. P'NnmLrrna. WASNIN O. N. VERENIUS.

TICKET SEPARATING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 19H").

1,226,930. Patented May 22, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses Inventor w by I r I D Attorneys Tu: mull rmn 0a.. PROUD-1100.. uusmwmn, I! c. v

UNITED STATES PATENT onmou.

OTTO N. VERENIUS, OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA.

TICKET-SEPARATING MACHINE.

Application filed November 1, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTTO N. VnRnNIUs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sioux City, in the county of Woodbury and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Ticket-Separating Machine, of which t' 1e following is a specification.

The present invention appertains to ticket separating machines, and aims to provide a novel and improved machine of that character adapted to separate the tickets of a stack, whereby the tickets are carried one at a time in the machine to be counted. The machine is adapted to count cafeteria checks, soda fountain checks, theater tickets, milk tickets, and the like, and is adapted to count tickets of various sizes or proportions.

WVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes inthe precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of What is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

In carrying out the invention, there is provided a casing 1 constructed of sheet metal or other suitable material, embodying sides 2, a bottom 3, ends 45, and'a top or cover 6 embodying hinged sections 7 hinged as at 8 to the rear end 4, whereby the top can be swung open to permit access to be had to the interior working parts of the machine. A drawer 8 is slidable upon the bottom 3 through the front end 5, for holding tools, implements or other articles.

The forward upper corners of the sides 2 are provided with angular recesses 9, and the upper edge of the end 5 and lower horizontal edges of the recesses 9 have attached thereto,-a horizontal plate 10 adapted to hold a stack or pile of tickets T. A vertical plate 11 is slidably engaged, at is 11*, to the upright edges of the sides 2 formed by the recesses 9, whereby said plate 11 can be adjusted to provide a slot 12 of suitable width Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1917.

Serial No. 59,121.

between the lower edge of the plate 11 and the rear edge of the plate 10. The slot 12 may therefore be adjusted by shifting the plate 11, so that the slot 12 is of the proper width for the passage of a single ticket T therethrough from the plate 10 into the casing. The plate 10 is provided at its rear edge under the plate 11 with a recess or opening 18 for accommodating the conveyer to carry the tickets one at a time under the plate 11 into the casing.

This conveyor embodies a roller 14 of wood or other equivalent material disposed transversely within the casing below the opening 13 and mounted upon a transverse shaft 15 journaled to the sides 2. o A second roller 16 similar to the roller 14 is mounted upon a transverse shaft 17 j ournaled to the sides of the casing in rear of the roller 14, and a plurality of endless conveyer or feed belts 18 of rubber or other equivalent material are trained around the rollers 14-16, so that the upper runs of the belts 18 are disposed within the opening 13 and work rearwardly therefrom. The stack of tickets rest upon the belts 18 within the opening 13, so that the lowermost ticket is carried by the belts through the slot 12. The belts 18 are supported adjacent the plate 11 by a transverse bar 19 terminally attached to the sides 2 of the casing adjacent the top of the roller 14. This prevents the upper runs of the belts sagging adjacent the stack of tickets as would be objectionable.

A horizontal guard 20 is attached to the sides of the casing immediately above the upper runs of the belts 18, to prevent the displacement of the tickets when being carried by the belts, and the rear end of the guard 20 is curved downwardly, as at 21, to shield the rear roller 16 and to direct the tickets downwardly.

From the roller 16, the tickets are directed rearwardly by a curved chute 22 having its ends attached to the sides of the casing immediately in rear of the roller 16. The chute directs the tickets edgewise between a pair .of rubber or equivalent rollers 23 disposed transversely within the casing, and mounted upon transverse shafts 24 journaled to the sides of the casing.

The driving mechanism embodies a pair of intermeshing gear wheels 25 secured to protruding ends of the shafts 24 and one of the gear wheels 25 meshes with a gear wheel 26 mounted upon a transverse driving CTI shaft 27 journaled through the casing and having a-crank 28 adapted to be rotated by hand, although it is to be understood that the shaft 27 can be rotated mechanically if desired. A pulley wheel 29 is secured upon the shaft 27 and is connected by a belt 30 with a pulley wheel 31 secured to the protruding end of the shaft 17. When the shaft 27 is rotated, it is evident that the rollers 23 and 16 are rotated, for actuating the machine, the belts 18 being operated by the rotation of the roller 16.

In rear of the roller 23, is a wheel 32 operated by the tickets or checks delivered from the rollers 23, and this wheel embodies a drum or hub 33 mounted upon a shaft 34:

' disposed transversely of the casing. A plurality of annular sets of fingers 35 are attached to the hub 33, and are curved to form cams with which the tickets are engageable, as depicted in Fig. 3. The fingers or cams 35 are so arranged, that when a ticket is projected by the rollers 23, it strikes one longitudinal row of fingers 35, and rotates the wheel 32 one step, in which event the ticket is released.

The shaft 34 is preferably extended through horizontal slots 36 with which the sides of the casing are provided, whereby the wheel 32 can be adjusted transversely of itself according to the width of ticket or check used, the shaft 34 being held in any adjusted position by any suitable means.

The rotation of the wheel 33 is utilized for operating a counter or tally, and to this end one end of the shaft Bat operates a counter or tally 38 carried by the casing, so that each time the wheel 32 is rotated one step, the counter 38 is operated or advanced one number.

The bottom 3 of the casing has an upstanding hopper or chute 39 below the space between the rollers 23 and wheel 32, for receiving the tickets or checks, and the bottom has an opening 40 below the hopper or chute 39 through which the tickets pass into the basket or other receptacle over which the casing 1 is disposed.

In operation, the stack of tickets is placed upon the plate 10 against the plate 11, and the plate 11 is adjusted to properly regulate the slot 12. Then, when the machine is operated, the tickets are carried one at a time from the bottom of the stack through the slot 12 by the belts 18, and are delivered onto the chute 22. The chute 22 carries the tickets between the rollers 23, so that said rollers push or project the tickets against the wheel 32, and said wheel is advanced one step by each ticket, due to the engagement of the ticket with the longitudinal row of fingers or cams 35. Thus, the counter 38 registers the number of tickets automatically.

The present mechanism is thus useful for separating and counting the tickets automatically, to relieve the operator of this duty, and which saves considerable time and trouble. The machine can be adjusted to count and separate tickets of various sizes and proportions, and can be used for divers purposes.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A machine of the character described embodying a casing having a horizontal plate to support a stack of tickets, a vertical plate carried by the casing above the horizontal plate for vertical adjustment, the vertical plate having its lower edge spaced above the horizontal plate, the horizontal plate having an opening below the vertical plate, the width of the opening between the vertical plate and remote edge of the opening being less than the width of the tickets, the stack of tickets being adapted to seat upon the horizontal plate above said opening and against the vertical plate, and a. roller mounted in the casing below the vertical plate having its upper portion located within said opening to assist in supporting the stack of tickets and for moving the lowermost ticket under the vertical plate into the casing.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto atlixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

OTTO N. VERENIUS.

lVitnesses H. WV. HENDEnsoN, J NO. G. RAND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

